It's a Teen's life
by Aquaria Identity 07
Summary: After a brief accident, the ten aliens are released from the Omnitrix, but a nasty glitch turns them into human teens! And now that Summer vacation is over, can the aliens manage a new life as teenagers?
1. Intro

**Hey people! This is the second time I'm starting a new fanfic (and my first Ben10 fic), so please, no flames. In this fic, only the first ten aliens shall be turned into humans, and Ripjaws, Stinkfly and XLR8 are girl aliens (heh heh!). And sorry if I forget any other aliens from the Omnitrix.**

**I don't own Ben 10, the characters, the omnitrix and the aliens & villains.**

**Chapter 1: Intro**

Riding along the city highway was a RV, and inside it were three people. The eldest was a man who looked about sixty, but had a muscular physique. He had short white-grey hair and he wore a red Hawaiian shirt, blue jeans and brown shoes. The youngest were two children, both were about the same age as each other, that being ten, of course. The young boy had brown hair and light green eyes, and he wore baggy brown trousers and a black-and-white shirt. On his wrist was a watch-like device, glowing red. The girl had short red hair and, like the boy, she had light green eyes. She wore a blue top and matching blue pants, but her wrist was device-less.

'Ugh, I can't believe summer's nearly over,' Ben Tennyson said, watching the world go by outside the car window. They were making their way back to their hometown, and they were passing through the country of Florida at the very moment. Ben's cousin, Gwen, had her laptop open, but like Ben she was gazing outside. Their grandfather Max was keeping his eyes on the road. Ben crossed his arms, his green eyes narrowed. 'We have to go to school and learn stuff we don't wanna learn.'

'It's not the end of the world,' said Gwen, her eyes turning to him. 'There will always be another summer.'

'Yeah, like next year,' Ben replied. He looked at the device on his wrist. 'This vacation has been so cool. I mean, from the Omnitrix winding up on my arm to saving the world from that squid-head Vilgax made this vacation so . . . fun.'

Gwen rolled her eyes. 'With the Omnitrix winding up on you just made my vacation weird.'

Ben frowned at her slightly. Why he and Gwen were related was a mystery that he couldn't solve.

Heatblast sighed as he watched his fellow aliens deep in thought.

They had a life before, but now their so-called newlife is here, he thought, clenching his fists.

Heatblast's eyes were on the crystalline alien, Diamondhead, who was leaning against the black wall of the big green-and-black room. He was very intelligent, and very helpful. Apart from being smart, he was very handsome and a well-mannered gentleman. Diamondhead was every (alien) girl's dream man. According to him, he hailed from the crystalline planet of Petrosapia, but that was all he remembered before he realized that he would spend the rest of his life inside the Omnitrix.

Next to Diamondhead, stood a _very _tiny alien, who didn't seem to fear being trampled on. Grey Matter was his name, though it was unclear what his real name is, which applied to all of the aliens in the room. Grey Matter didn't look like the warrior type, due to his small size, but inside his little mind was pure intelligence. Sure, in battle he didn't have brawn, but he had brains.

Heatblast eyes then turned to the lizard-looking alien, XLR8. She was sitting cross-legged on the floor, her eyes closed. Her long blue tail with black stripes was twitching slightly. XLR8 was one of the three female aliens, but the fastest alien of them all. According to Grey Matter, XLR8 was of the Kinceleran species, though the alien didn't seem to remember. XLR8 was very caring and often tends to act like a mother, which was fine with them all.

Next to her was a fish alien, a bug alien and a dog alien with no eyes. The fish alien was Ripjaws, the other female of the three. Her appearance intimidated the others at first, but after finding that she was friendly, they liked her at once. Ripjaws was best at swimming, an ability she was very proud of. Whenever she swam she felt free and happy, feeling graceful and enjoying everything around her.

The last female was the bug alien named Stinkfly. She often showed off her flying ability but used it whenever someone was in emergency. Unlike the other girls, Stinkfly was tougher and more boyish. She spends her time mostly the males, and sometimes the females. The dog-like alien, Wildmutt, only did listen to her, since Stinkfly and Wildmutt spent more time with each other.

The Pyronite turned his head to the right and his eyes were upon a mechanical figure. His mechanical form earned him the name Upgrade, which suited him perfectly. His 'skin' was a black-and-white combination, with lines of electric green going through the black. Upgrade was standing next to the red-skinned, four-armed Tetramand, Fourarms. Fourarms was the muscle of the group, but when he wasn't beating the heck out of the enemy, he was gentle, kind and the perfect friend.

Then Heatblast looked across the huge room. An Arburian Pelarota, otherwise known as Cannon Bolt, was talking quietly to a vine creature, otherwise known as Wildvine. Next to them were four figures, the fourth figure quietly cursing under his breath about how his plans were foiled and how he'll one day have revenge on Ben Tennyson. That alien was the ghostly figure of Ghostfreak. His claws were clenched and his one violet-purple eye was in rage. The other three figures was what looked like a wolfman, a mummy and an intimidating Frankenstein monster. Those three went by the names of Benwolf, Benmummy and Benvictor.

Heatblast shook his head at them. Ghostfreak had attempted to merge himself with the holder of the Omnitrix - their prison - who's name was Ben. The plan failed as Ghostfreak was exposed to the sun's rays and was destroyed, but Benwolf, Benmummy and Benvictor brought him back from the dead so he could put the world into darkness. But soon that plan failed, and he was forced to return to the Omnitrix, along with his cronies.

I think the kid doesn't even know Ghostfreak is still in the Omnitrix, Heatblast thought. In fact, the kid doesn't even know if all of us are real instead of pieces of DNA.

The Pyronite bent his head in thought once more.

I wonder if we'll ever see Ben's world?

But little did Heatblast and his friends know that they would soon see Ben's world, but in a different way.

**So, what do you think of this chapter? Who knew Ripjaws would be a girl? Reviews are welcome:)**


	2. The Discovery

**The second chapter is here:) Thank you, Emerald Shapeshifter 777, for reviewing my story. :) And now, on with the chapter!**

**Oh yeah, I don't own Ben 10, blah blah blah . . .**

**Chapter 2: The Discovery**

Ben felt his stomach grumble in hunger.

'Oh man, how long are they gonna be?' Ben thought, looking around as if food would appear in front of him. The RV had stopped at a service station and both Grandpa Max and Gwen had gone to buy food and snacks for their long journey home. Ben decided to stay in the RV in case something happened.  
So far, nothing had happened, and the only thing that kept Ben entertained was listening to his stomach grumbling.

Ben looked outside the window, watching out for his grandpa and his cousin in case they came back, then he found himself looking at the storage cupboard. He didn't know what was in there, but Grandpa Max had forbidden both him and Gwen to ever look in there.

'I don't want you two snooping around in that cupboard,' he had told the two ten-year-olds on the start of their summer vacation. 'What's in there is unimportant and there's nothing you need to know about it. So the storage cupboard is off-limits, okay?'

'Yes, Grandpa.'

Now, knowing Ben, he was the curious - and mischievous - everyday type of boy. And, of course, curiosity always got the best of him, and it always landed him in trouble.

Looking out the window once more, Ben climbed off his chair and walked slowly over to the cupboard. His hand was on the handle, but certain thoughts ran through his mind. Sure, he had disobeyed his grandpa millions of times, but that was usually in battles against numerous enemies. Right now, he was just himself, just Ben Tennyson. But he didn't want to get into more trouble while they were on their way back home.

Ben shook the thoughts out of his head and smiled.

'Grandpa won't find out,' he said, his grip on the handle tightening. 'All I'm gonna do is find out what's in here and close the door again. It'll look like I've never looked in here.'

Then Ben turned the handle and he opened the door.

What was inside the cupboard disappointed him.

Inside the cupboard was an old, dusty, useless-looking computer monitor (you know, the screen), without the keyboard, mouse and so on. It was a blackish color and underneath the screen were three buttons and three little lights, two colored red, two colored orange and two colored green. Connected to the monitor was a long black wire, which had a metal thing on the end (like a hook spies use in movies).

Ben scratched his head in thought. What was it? It didn't look like it could do anything. Why did Grandpa hide it away? Oh well, better just leave this thing here.

Just as Ben was going to close the door, the screen of the monitor turned electric green and a female voice was heard:

_Searching for devices_

Ben watched in surprise as the long hooked wire was moving around on the floor, as if it was trying to find something. Suddenly, the hooked wire clasped onto the face of the Omnitrix. Ben started panicking, and he tried to shake it off the Omnitrix, but he stopped as the female voice spoke out once again:

_Device detected  
Name: Omnitrix  
A total of 15 alien DNA samples:_

_Petrosapien  
Tetramand  
Ectonurite  
Galvan  
Galvan Mechomorph  
Pyronite  
Piscciss Volann  
Lepidopterran  
Vulpimancer  
Kinceleran  
Arburian Pelarota  
Florauna  
Loboan  
one unknown  
one unknown_

_Which shall you select?_

The screen turned black and the names of the fifteen aliens appeared, with the name 'Petrosapien' highlighted. Underneath the names was the words that the female voice had asked:  
Which shall you choose?

Ben looked at the screen for a moment. What the heck did he get himself into? He put his hand out and his index finger touched the first name, wondering what was going to happen.

The female voice spoke out again:

_Petrosapien selected  
If you are done selecting the following DNA, press the green button to activate the extraction_

Ben looked from the screen to the green button. He didn't exactly know what 'extraction' meant, but he kind of got the idea that it had something to do with the word 'remove'. But, as if he was told to, he selected nine more alien names, deciding not to select the last five. Then, without giving some thought, Ben pushed the green button. The button lit up, glowing a very bright green. The black wire started glowing green as well, and the Omnitrix started to light up more than usual.

The female voice spoke out once more:

_Extraction has now been activated_

The aliens looked up from where they were standing/sitting. They sensed that something was going on, and they all wanted to find out.

Wildmutt suddenly started to whimper, and he moved backwards and hid behind Stinkfly.

'What's wrong, boy?' Stinkfly whispered in a gentle voice, kneeling on her 'legs' and stroking his shaking head. The others watched as Wildmutt howled in pain and started to roll all over the floor, shaking more than usual.

'Whatever it is, it's hurting him,' XLR8 said in a concerned voice. 'Grey Matter, can you help him?'

The little Galvan nodded, though he seemed unsure. Upgrade picked Grey Matter up and walked over to the howling Wildmutt. He set his friend down, who slowly walked towards the creature who intimidated him the most. Grey Matter wasn't usually afraid of Wildmutt, but the way he was shaking and howling shook fear into the little alien. Just as Grey Matter was about to inspect the Vulpimancer, a ring of green light appeared around both the little alien and Wildmutt.

'What the-?' Grey Matter didn't have time to finish his sentence, as the bright green light glowed brilliantly around the room and when the aliens uncovered their eyes, Wildmutt and Grey Matter . . . were gone.

Each of the aliens were shocked, except for Ghostfreak, who looked like he hadn't seen a thing.

Fourarms was the first to break the silence. 'What just happened there?'

'They just disappeared!' Ripjaws exclaimed, looking at the spot where the two aliens were. 'Oh, I hope they're all right!'

'They're gonna be fine,' Upgrade said, putting his hand on her shoulder. 'I'm sure of it. There's no way they've they gonna get hu-'

Suddenly, another ring of green light appeared, this time around the suprised Upgrade and Ripjaws. After the green light glowed around the room again, Upgrade and Ripjaws were gone as well.

The aliens were silent again. This time, Ghostfreak did look suprised. What was with the green lights that interrupted his thoughts? He looked at the five remaining original aliens. Would they disappear, too?

'Okay, this is seriously freaking me out,' Heatblast said, his eyes looking around.

Fourarms nodded in agreement. He didn't like this at all, not one little bit. Diamondhead remained silent. He looked calm and he didn't blink.

'Do you think we might disappear, too?' XLR8 asked him, her tail twitching more. He didn't answer.

XLR8 was about to repeat the question, when another ring of light appeared around her, Diamondhead and the silent Stinkfly, who was thinking about the others who disappeared. Heatblast, Fourarms and the other aliens covered their eyes from the blinding light and they looked to see the trio gone.

'Oh man! Now they've gone too!' Cannon Bolt exclaimed. 'What's the heck's going on?!'

'Okay everyone, calm down!' Heatblast cried, his hands up in the air signifying silence. 'Just be quiet! Alright, we need to figu-'

But he stopped as a ring of light appeared around Fourarms, who looked horrified.

'Heatblast! Help me!' he cried, before the light glowed and he was gone.

Heatblast was now freaked out. What was with his friends disappearing? Where have they gone? Are they dead?

Those thoughts scared the Pyronite. Sure, he didn't know them for years, but he liked them and they became fast friends. Why, even Ghostfreak was once his friend, before he tried to possess Ben and put the world into darkness.

Heatblast turned to where Ghostfreak was, where he was among his team of cronies. With a deep sigh, the Pyronite said, 'Ghostfreak, I need your help.'

The Ectonurite's eye widened. Did he just hear Heatblast ask _him _for _help_? Although Cannon Bolt and Wildvine didn't know Ghostfreak that long, they knew what he tried to do to Ben, and they too were suprised at what Heatblast had asked him.

Ghostfreak's eye narrowed, and he said in a ghostly voice, '_That I cannot do. Even with my powers there's nothing I can do to _help _stop whatever is happening. If we are next, we must accept that, whether we like it . . . or not._'

Heatblast was about to make his way over to Ghostfreak and try to strangle him when he saw a familiar glow around him and the Ectonurite. Before the light glowed, Ghostfreak muttered two words that Heatblast kept in his mind:  
'_Brace yourself._'

And with that, the last thing Heatblast saw was the bright green light.

**Chapter 2 done! I know I haven't got to the aliens-turned-teenagers yet, but I'll get to that in the next two chapters. And I'm sorry if I forget the other aliens. Gee, I didn't mention Wildvine, Diamondhead, Benwolf, mummy and victor speaking at all:( Since (I think) Benmummy and Benvictor aren't actually from another planet, I just wrote 'one unknown' for each of them. Reviews are welcome:)**


	3. Error!

**Well, I'm on to chapter 3 now. Thank you, acosta perez jose ramiro and Emerald Shapeshifter 777 for reviewing my story. :D Does the chapter name have you worried? And don't worry, I won't kill anyone - yet. :) And again, I'm only using the original ten aliens, not the others.  
Again, I don't own Ben 10 and I'll probably never will.**

**Chapter 3: Error!**

Ben could hear voices in his head. Voices that sounded familiar, yet he didn't know who they belonged to.

_What's wrong, boy?_

_Whatever it is, it's hurting him._

_This is really freaking me out._

_Help me!_

_They just disappeared!_

_What the-?_

_What the heck is going on?!_

_Do you think we'll disappear, too?_

Ben felt his eyes warming up. Those voices belonged to the aliens on the Omnitrix, but they sounded so . . . helpless. Scared. Confused. The ten-year-old boy clenched his fist in anger. How dare he do this to them?

'They're suffering because of me,' he muttered angrily. 'If I hadn't found this stupid computer thing, everything would've been alright. No one would be harmed.' Then a thought entered his mind. All this time he thought of the aliens as pieces of DNA, but now that he actually thought about it . . . _were they real?_

'Yes, they are,' Ben whispered, looking at the Omnitrix, which was still glowing more than usual with the wire hooked on it. He looked at the monitor with a look of determination in his eyes. 'I gotta stop this thing from extracting the aliens.'

Using his free hand, he started pressing all the buttons: the red one, the orange one and the green one. He pressed them all again and again and again . . .

Suddenly, the screen of the monitor flashed a brilliant bright red color, then black, then red and so on.

The female voice spoke out:

_Error! Error! Error! Error!_

The voice went on, and Ben continued to press the buttons.

'This has got to work!' he cried, pressing the buttons harder than before. 'This has got to work!'

Heatblast opened his eyes. Why did he get the feeling that he was floating? Nonetheless, he liked it. He felt like he was flying. He felt free and independent. It felt good.

'Heatblast, snap out of it!' a hissy voice called, and Heatblast felt his face getting smacked by a big tail. He held his head, the flying feeling having already left him faster than you can say 'XLR8'.

'What was that for?' Heatblast asked, looking at the Kinceleran. He realized that she was floating in midair, and he was as well. 'Where are we?'

XLR8 crossed her arms. 'I have no idea. Those rings of light must've transported us here. You were daydreaming all of a sudden, and I couldn't wake you up, so-'

'So I was the first victim of the tail thrash,' Heatblast muttered. 'Lucky me.'

'_Not only I have endured months of torture by living with you fools in the Omnitrix, but now I have to stay in this void for goodness knows how long with you once more!_' a familiar ghostly voice said. Heatblast turned and frowned in disgust as he saw the figure of Ghostfreak floating nearby.

'Hey, I didn't exactly plan this, okay?' the Pyronite retorted. 'I'd rather be smacked a thousand times in the face by XLR8's tail than stay here with you!'

Ghostfreak clenched his claws and was floating to where Heatblast was floating to beat the heck out of him when a floating upside-down Upgrade came between them.

'Okay guys, calm down,' he said, waving his arms that signified peace. 'There's nothing to fight about. Just relax.'

'He's right, you know,' Diamondhead's voice came behind Ghostfreak. 'If we work together as a team, we can figure out how we can get outta here.'

'_Work together? Team? I don't think so, Petrosapien_,' Ghostfreak said, crossing his arms.

'Ghostfreak, unless you want to spend the rest of your life stuck in this void, we have to work together.'

'_Of course . . . when a Vulpimancer starts to fly_.'

A tiny but hearable voice was heard from Upgrade's 'shoulder', 'I think you should swallow your words, Ghostfreak,' and Grey Matter appeared, floating next to Upgrade, his tiny finger pointed upwards.

'Grey Matter, you're finally awake!' Upgrade cried, and his head turned upwards to see what his little friend was pointing at. Above the alien's heads, Wildmutt was flying, or floating, in his case. He looked very relaxed and carefree, as if he was on vacation. The aliens looked quite amused at the Vulpimancer's relaxed form.

Ghostfreak was not amused, however.

'_He is not flying. He is merely floating, just like the rest of us_.'

'Same difference,' came a familiar voice. Fourarms appeared next to Heatblast and XLR8, Ripjaws and Stinkfly closely floating behind. The two females wore expressions of confusion.

'How come we're the only ones here in this void?' Ripjaws asked, looking around. 'Cannon Bolt and the others are not here with us.'

Grey Matter was about to answer when a red light flashed, and a female voice was heard:

_Error! Error! Error! Error!_

The voice went on and the red flashing lights went on and off, on and off.

'Now what?' Heatblast muttered.

Sensing that something was going to happen, the aliens snapped into defense mode. They were ready to kick some butt.

The flashing lights continued to go on and off and the voice continued to say the word '_Error!'._

Suddenly, Upgrade started screaming, for some reason. The nine aliens looked to see what was wrong with him, but (even Ghostfreak) were shocked at what they saw.

The mechanical 'skin' on Upgrade's body were falling off him, revealing pale skin. His body started to get smaller and smaller until he was about Ripjaw's height.

Stinkfly suddenly cried, 'XLR8, what the heck's happening to your tail?!'

The aliens (apart from Upgrade) looked to see the Kinceleran's tail shrinking and growing more smaller. XLR8 screamed. Not because of fright, but of pain. She dropped to her knees, screaming loudly. Her claws were taking the shape of hands and her helmet broke and revealed long blue hair with the tips black that went to her waist.

'Oh my-' Grey Matter started, when he too dropped to his tiny knees. Just then, the Galvan's body started to grow bigger, bigger than his usual size. Short brown hair started to grow on his head.

Then Fourarms and Diamondhead started screaming as well. The Tetramand's two lower arms started to get smaller and smaller until they were no more. His two lower eyes were now gone and he started to shrink until his body was the same height as Upgrade. The crystal rocks on Diamondhead's body were falling off, and they revealed skin just like Upgrade's.

'What is going on?!' Heatblast shouted, watching his five friends with shock, confusion and concern. Then he heard Ripjaws screaming.

Ripjaws's large teeth started to grow smaller until they were human size, and her scaly skin started to look like Upgrade and Diamondhead's skin.

A growl was heard from Wildmutt. His paws were covering his face, and when he moved his paws away, they revealed a pair of eyes. Two, pained, electric green eyes. Wildmutt's fur was falling of as well, and his arms and legs were starting to take shape of a human.

Heatblast looked at Stinkfly, who then cried in agony. Her beautiful wings were shrinking until they were gone, and her eyestalks shrunk into her head and only a pair of citrine-colored eyes were there.

'Oh no, what's happening to them?!' the Pyronite cried. Then, he felt a surge of pain through his body. Heatblast doubled up in midair and started to scream. He could feel his skin falling away, and his eyes started to change as well. The flames all over his pain-filled body started to leave him and his head was hurting as he felt something coming out. The Pyronite managed to open his new eyes and looked at his friends, who were screaming and doubled over. However, he didn't see the Ectonurite among them. Where was he?

Then he heard the familiar ghostly voice, groaning and whimpering, obviously hurting like the rest of them. Heatblast could not hear Ghostfreak's voice anymore. Instead, he heard heavy breathing. Except it sounded like it was coming from . . . a female?

Heatblast had no time to think about this, as the female voice spoke out the word '_Error!_' more loudly this time. Suddenly, a bright red light shone in the Pyronite's new eyes, and the female voice spoke out:

_DANGER! DANGER! _

Heatblast felt the light swallow him, and the cries of his friends faded away.

The wire suddenly fell from the Omnitrix, moving around the floor as if it was ready to explode. Ben continued to press the buttons, and the monitor screen stayed red. The female voice spoke out again, the two words appearing on the screen:

_DANGER! DANGER!_

Suddenly, the monitor started to shake violently, forcing Ben to back away for safety. The shaking got so vicious, Ben moved right out of the cupboard, covering the Omnitrix with his hand to protect it. Then, a brilliant red light shone all around in the RV, and the ten-year-old felt himself ducking for cover under the table. An explosion was heard, and Ben's head hit the table and pain filled him. Just before he fell unconscious, he heard a familiar voice:

'Where are we?'

**Chapter 3 is now done! If you don't like the bits where the aliens were 'changing', I apologize. OK? Also, there's a hint in this chapter that has got something to do with one of the alien's turning teen. That will be revealed in the next chappie! Reviews are welcome:)**


	4. New Lives

**Wow! I'm now on chapter 4:) I hope you like it. Oh, and the hint from chapter 3 is revealed. There will be a bit of swearing in later chappies. And I've realized that I made Ben think a lot! Ben? Think?! Holy flip! And I've definitely noticed that I'm writing the word "female" heck of a lot. And "alien". And "girl". And "human". You get the idea. Since Grey Matter is going to be like Ben's age, I'm gonna make him a preteen. Thanks to those who have reviewed so far. :)**

**Once again, I don't own Ben 10 (ooh, that rhymes), and yadda-yadda-yadda.**

**Chapter 4: New Lives**

"Where are we?" muttered Heatblast, his eyes blinking in confusion. The pain had left him, and he wasn't screaming anymore.

Then the memories flashed in his mind.

Oh no, he thought, worries filling his head. Heatblast was about to call for help, when he caught sight of a boy, under a table. He was unconscious, and he looked hurt. Heatblast, who was sitting on a floor of some sort, crawled over to the boy. He was about ten-years-old, and had brown hair and baggy clothes. That's when the Pyronite saw it.

On the boy's wrist was a device that was his prison.

The Omnitrix.

Heatblast gasped. This boy . . . this was Ben Tennyson, the holder of the Omnitrix, the one that used the aliens's powers for good, the one who had saved countless lives.

The one Ghostfreak had tried to possess.

The Pryonite thought about the Ectonurite. Ghostfreak was Heatblast's first friend in the Omnitrix, then XLR8, then Fourarms and so on. They both trusted each other, but their trust faltered when Ghostfreak told him his plans about possessing Ben . . .

_Flashback_

"What did you say?!"

Ghostfreak sighed. He was expecting this reaction from his friend.

"_I said_," he started again, "_that I shall break out of this infernal prison and possess the boy that is the holder of the Omnitrix. With his body and the power of the Omnitrix, I shall hold power over this pathetic world._"

"Are you insane?!' Heatblast exclaimed, which attracted the attention of the others. "Why do you want to do this?!"

"_Because, my friend, I want my freedom,_" the Ectonurite replied. He put his 'hands' on Heatblast's flaming shoulders.

"_Do you not see, Heatblast, do you not want your freedom? Do you not want power? Do you not want revenge on the boy who misused our powers? Do you want to stay here?"_

Ghostfreak lowered his 'hands' to his sides and said, "_My dear friend, I am offering you a chance at power, to rule this world alongside me. We can do it together._"

The Ectonurite stuck out his 'hand', waiting for Heatblast's answer. The Pyronite thought about it. The offer sounded very tempting, but will he really enjoy having power? Will he enjoy hurting his friends?

Heatblast pushed Ghostfreak's 'hand' away, and replied, "No! I won't do it! It's just wrong!"

Ghostfreak blinked and sighed. "_Very well._"

And he floated away, leaving Heatblast to think about their conversation.

_End flashback._

Ben groaned slightly, interrupting Heatblast's thoughts. He rubbed his eyes, and he looked around. Ben looked surprised to see Heatblast sitting in front of him.

"Uh, do I know you?" he asked, rubbing his head.

Heatblast was taken aback. "Ben, don't you recognize me?"

Ben shook his head, but something was twigging at the back of his mind. Where did he hear that voice before?

"It's me! Heatblast!"

The ten-year-old blinked a few times, before he found himself hugging the Pyronite.

"It's really you!' he said, sounding more like a question than a statement. "But . . . what happened to you?"

"What do you mean?" asked Heatblast asked, breaking away from the hug and scratching his head. He stopped. There was something on his head. It was . . . hair?

"I, uh, think you should look in the mirror,' Ben said, his eyes wide. He led Heatblast one of the cupboards, and he opened it, revealing a mirror on the inside. Heatblast looked at reflection, and he nearly dropped down in shock.

He wasn't the flaming, lava-rocked skinned, fire-like alien anymore. He looked like . . . like a human! His skin was tan and his body wasn't fire anymore. He had flame-red spiky hair that stood up, and his eyes were a reddish-brown color.

"Holy flipping crud, what happened to me?!" Heatblast cried, his hands touching his tan face. "Why do I look like a human?!"

Ben was about give an answer when he heard a groan coming behind them. Both he and the shocked Heatblast turned to see a girl standing there. She was about Heatblast's height and looked very fit. Her skin was pale and her hair . . . it was blue and the tips were black, and it went down to her waist. Her eyes were electric green, just like Ben's, and it looked confused.

"Where am I?" she asked, looking around a bit before her eyes rested on Ben and Heatblast. "Who are you?"

The boys just stared at this girl, before Heatblast, who started smiling like an idiot, ran to her and hugged her tightly as he could.

"Okay," the girl said, looking as if she would explode. "This is really hurting me."

Heatblast, still smiling, said, "It's me, XLR8!"

"XLR8?" said Ben, raising an eyebrow. "Are you telling me that this _girl _is XLR8?"

But Heatblast wasn't listening, as he was being hugged by the girl, who looked as though she never saw him for years.

"What happened to you? You're changed!"

"Ha! You should talk! Look at yourself in the mirror and you'll see."

Heatblast led XLR8 to the mirror, and the girl's jaw dropped when she saw herself. "What the heck's happened to us?! Why are we like this?!"

Ben replied, "Maybe I should tell you guys something."

Then came a scream from behind them in the storage cupboard, and more screams were heard. Ben, Heatblast and XLR8 rushed to the cupboard, and they were shocked to see the others there, but not as themselves.

Five boys and two girls were sitting there, all talking at once and screaming a bit. One of the boys was tinier than the others, about Ben's height, with shortish brown hair and yellow-black eyes, which undeniably belonged to Grey Matter.

Next to him was obviously Upgrade, his hair a funky combination of black and white, with green lines going through the black. His eyes was a green-black color as well.

No doubt the next boy was Fourarms, as his muscles gave him away. He had short reddish hair, thought not as dark as Heatblast's hair, and had only one pair of yellow eyes. He was very tall and muscular, as though he worked out everyday.

The next boy had fair skin, citrine-colored eyes and shiny crystal-like hair. He was handsome, and looked very serious. This was Diamondhead all over.

The last boy looked very wild. He wasn't speaking or screaming at all. Instead, he was sniffing the floor and growling a bit, like a dog. His hair was a wild orange color, very long and all over the place. His eyes were green and wild, focusing on the floor and his body went into a pounce position whenever he growled.  
There was no trouble guessing that this was Wildmutt.

The two girls, like XLR8, were very pretty. One of them had shoulder-length blond hair with a hint of gold shining and her eyes were citrine-colored. Heatblast remembered seeing those eyes before when they were in the void. It was Stinkfly, all right.

Ripjaws was the girl next to her, with a mane of sea-green hair and bright violet eyes. She looked stunningly beautiful, like a mermaid.

The group stopped talking/screaming/growling and looked at Ben, mostly staring at the Omnitrix. Suddenly, they started talking at once, moving towards with him to get a closer look at him.

"Is that really him?"

"I don't believe it!"

"How could this be?"

"How come we're like this?"

"What happened?

"Grrr!"

"Do you know?"

When he heard that last question, Ben felt his cheeks go a bit red. Somehow he got the what happened, but wasn't going to explain yet. Not now. He'll wait for Gwen and Grandpa first, though he knew they would be dead angry.

I got to find that stupid monitor thing, and fast, he thought.

Meanwhile, Heatblast and XLR8 were bombarded with hugs and questions and comments about their new looks. The Pyronite quickly looked at them all and thought, Hmm, everyone's seems to be here, except . . .

"Benjamin!"

Ben gulped as he recognized the voice of his Grandpa. He and the "aliens" turned to see him and Gwen standing there, with angry looks on their faces and their arms crossed.

"And what were you doing in the storage cupboard?" Grandpa asked, his eyes narrowing.

"And who the heck are these people?" said Gwen, pointing at them. She sounded just as angry as her Grandpa.

Ben gulped again. He wasn't usually this scared, but the looks on both their faces filled him with fear. Just then, he heard a sound coming behind within the cupboard. Grandpa, Gwen, Ben and the others turned around. What was in her hands made the ten-year-old boy's eyes widen with shock.

Standing there, holding a now broken monitor with a little smoke coming out of the shattered screen, was a girl. Her raven-purple hair and dark, dark eyes made her pale skin look luminous. She didn't look like the smiley-happy-nice type. She was scowling, and her unblinking eyes were on Ben.

"I believe you have a lot of explaining to do, Tennyson," she said, her voice sounding cold.

Heatblast did a double-take. Her voice sounded ghostly and threatening. It sounded like . . .

Could it possibly be . . .?

The Pyronite could utter only one word, or in this case, one name:

"Ghostfreak?"

**Da da da! I was evil for making GF a girl, but anyway. And the when I wrote that bit about HB uttering one word, I was not really sure about it, cause Ghostfreak is two seperate words, so sorry about that.  
Reviews are welcome:)**


	5. New Names

**Chapter 5 is here:) I like to say a big thank you to all that reviewed this story so far. Thank you again so much:D Anyway, if you are wondering, yes, the aliens are wearing clothes (thanks, crazyrTHANu882, for reminding me. :D ). They'll be wearing similar clothes like Ben's (color and so on), and by the next chapters, they'll probably either: a) go shopping for new clothes or b) borrow some clothes from Ben and Gwen.**

**If I said it once, I'll say it again: I DO NOT OWN BEN 10!!!**

**Chapter 5: New Names**

The girl didn't say anything, but Heatblast could make out a little nod from her. He was dumbfounded. How did _that _happen? The others, Gwen, Grandpa and Ben were thinking the same thing. How did Ghostfreak, the cold-hearted (of course, if he even has a heart), power-hungry, terrifying Ectonurite, become a girl?

Ghostfreak was still looking at Ben. The way he (or she) was looking at him made the ten-year-old feel a bit scared. It was as if Ghostfreak was daring him to say something, so she could say something back. Ben started to panic. What should he say?

"I am waiting for you to answer me," said Ghostfreak, tapping her foot impatiently.

The others stopped thinking and they set their eyes on Ben, who was struggling to think of a good excuse. If he told the truth, there's no telling what will happen.

Grandpa will kill me! he thought. Why the hell did I ever go into the stupid cupboard?! Why am I so STUPID?!

A hand touched his shoulder, and Ben looked up to see Grandpa . . . smiling?? He didn't look angry anymore.

"I'm very disappointed that you disobeyed me, Ben," he said. "But whatever happened, I'll forgive you."

Ben felt more relaxed, and out of the corners of his eyes, he could see Heatblast giving him thumbs-up. Gwen smiled, but started to frown as one of the boys, who she didn't know was Wildmutt, started sniffing her and growling a bit.

"Ben! Can you call this guy off of me?!" she said, pushing him away. "He's really starting to freak me out!"

Grandpa, Ben and the others giggled, watching her push away Wildmutt who kept coming back to her. Ghostfreak was not giggling. She was really getting impatient, and her hands were getting sore from holding the monitor for so long.

Luckily, before she could even start shouting, Grandpa then said to Ben, "I think it's time for you tell us what happened."

Ben nodded. He was relaxed and not panicking now, and he also felt more confident.

After Wildmutt finally stopped irritating Gwen, she, Grandpa and the 'aliens' settled down around Ben. who then took a deep breath and started, "Well, it all started when . . ."

They listened with great interest and surprise as the ten-year-old started telling them about how he discovered the monitor and how the wire got attached to the Omnitrix, trying to remove the aliens from it. Heatblast was the most surprised as Ben told them about his story. However, when he was not looking at the boy, he was looking at Ghostfreak, who was leaning against the wall behind Ben, having set the monitor down on the floor. She looked bored, though she was listening to every single word Ben was saying, obviously angry about what happened to them all.

Bet she can't get over the fact that she's not a guy anymore, he thought, studying the expression on her face. Guess that's what you get for trying to take over the world.

" . . . so then Heatblast woke me up and I was like, "Who are you?" ", Ben continued. "Turns out he and the others are now humans, though I'm not sure why."

"Hmm, obviously pressing those buttons again and again must have released them," Grandpa said. "But there must have been some sort of glitch or error that made them like this." He nodded his head in the direction of the aliens, who understood.

"That was some glitch," Heatblast said, his head in the direction of Ghostfreak. "A very big one."

If looks could kill, Heatblast would be dead. Ghostfreak was staring daggers at him, very angry about what he said. Upgrade, sensing an argument about to erupt, said, "Why was the monitor in the cupboard in the first place?"

Everyone looked at Upgrade, then at Grandpa. The old man answered with a sigh.

"It's a long story," he replied, "I'll explain later. Right now, we got to sort out this mess."

He walked over to where the monitor lay on the floor, picked it up and said, "The monitor's broken, so you guys will be stuck as humans for a long time. Or should I say, 'teenagers'?"

"What's a 'teenager'?" Fourarms asked, scratching his head. He missed having four arms instead of two.

Grey Matter answered, "A young person usually between the ages of 13 and 19."

"Oh, right."

"Anyway," Grandpa continued, "It'll take a long time to fix this monitor, so in the meantime, you'll be learning to walk like a human, talk like a human and act like a human."

"Yes, sir," Heatblast said out loud. Everyone looked at him, and his cheeks turned red. "Sorry."

Ghostfreak raised an eyebrow, which made his cheeks turn a darker shade.

"Ben, Gwen and I are going to help you," Grandpa said, walking up and down like an officer, "And right now, we're going to give you new names. Ben, you and I are going to give the boys their names. Gwen, you're doing the girls."

Gwen nodded, and she said, "Okay girls, come get your new names!"

While the three girls gathered around her, Ghostfreak stayed where she was. Heatblast watched as she raised her head upwardly and then made her way to the girl group.

"Alright," Ben said. "Grey Matter, your name is . . . Dexter!"

"Dexter," Grey Matter repeated.

Then it was Grandpa's turn. "How do like the name "Peter", Diamondhead?"

Diamondhead nodded his head. "I like the sound of that."

Then Ben turned to Upgrade. "Okay, this is a random name. Uh, Galvin?"

Upgrade raised an eyebrow at this, but he nodded in agreement.

Grandpa looked at Heatblast and Fourarms, thought for a second and said, "Fourarms, your name is now Reid, and Heatblast, your name is Arden."

"Arden?"

"Reid?"

"Hey, that's the best I could come up with," Grandpa said, shrugging. His eyes were now on Wildmutt, who was lying on the floor and looking around with his wild eyes. "You got a name for him, Ben?"

"Yup!" Ben replied, "His name is Ralph!"

"Ralph?" Heatblast, or Arden, said, crossing his arms.

Ben was about to say something when he heard Gwen say, "Okay, I hope you like your names."

The girls walked over to the group of boys, except Ghostfreak, who sat down by the table, looking out the window.

"So, what's your names?" Diamondhead asked.

Stinkfly answered first. "My new name is Phyllis."

"Phyllis?"

"Gwen chose the name, not me," Stinkfly/Phyllis said, looking at the redhead girl.

"I got a weird name as well," XLR8 said. "Nero-Amy, or something like that."

Diamondhead/Peter raised an eyebrow. "What about you, Ripjaws?"

"Nerine," was her answer. "It means "from the sea", Gwen told me."

"It suits you," Peter said with a smile, causing Ripjaws/Nerine to blush.

"Okay," Grandpa started, "You got your names now, so remember them. Right now, we got to get back on the road."

Ben and Gwen smiled. They couldn't wait to see their families again! Grandpa sat himself down on the driver's seat, with Ben sitting in the front seat, and Gwen, safely holding the monitor, and the ex-aliens sat down on anything they could find. Arden (aka Heatblast) sat down by the table on the opposite seat, facing Ghostfreak, who was looking out the window still. She didn't seem to notice him, but she was probably ignoring him.

Arden sighed. She looks so pretty . . . WHAT?!?

He shook his head violently of the thought, which attracted the girl's attention. She looked at him, mumbled something that sounded like 'weirdo' and turned her attention back to the outside, which was starting to move as Grandpa started the RV.

Oh man, what was I thinking? Arden thought. Ghostfreak? Pretty? I must be outta of my mind!

He tried not to think about it, but every now and again it slipped into his mind, and the more he thought about it, the more he looked at Ghostfreak.

Why am I looking at her so much?! Arden thought with worry. Do I . . .? No way! I can't _like _her!!! It's impossible! That can't happen!

Arden's head landed face-down on the table. He was determined to it keep that way on the long journey back to the Tennyson's hometown.

**Chapter 5 is done! I hope you guys liked it, and just so you know, GF's new name is Leila-Renee, but obviously she didn't want to mention it to the guys. :) Talk about Grey Matter being "the walking dictionary". Also, I found out on that the name of Ben's hometown is Bellwood, so that's where they're heading to in the next chapter. :) And HB like GF? What was I thinking?!  
Oh yeah, I might be off the website for a week or two. I got exams coming up, then summer school, then FREEDOM:D Reviews are welcome. :)**


	6. Author's Note

**Author's Note**

**Hi! This is Aquaria Identity 07 speaking (not exactly, but you get my point). Like I said in the last chapter, I'll be off the website for a week or two due to exams (NO!!!), so by the time exams are over, I'll be back. :)**

**Like I also said before, I really like to say a big thank-you to all those who have reviewed my story so far:D You really deserve it!**

**And if you have any questions about 'It's a Teen's life', PM me and I'll get back to you (I sound like an answering machine).**

**Requests are taken as well. :)**

**Til next time,**

**Aquaria Identity ;)**


	7. A Conversation

**Hey people! This is chapter 7, though it's a bit short, I know. So enjoy! (I think the chapter name is sucky.)**

**I would say that I don't own Ben 10, which is true, but read the first five chapters to see that, okay? However, I do own characters that _do not_ appear in the series.**

**Chapter 7: A Conversation**

"Aldam?"

"What is it?" asked the flame-powered figure, turning himself around to face Miles, the second-youngest alien on the spaceship, since the youngest was Mile's brother, Lightspeed. However, Lightspeed was only the second-youngest in the family, as the youngest brother, Speedy, was back on their home planet Kinet.

Miles took a deep breath and said, "Do you think we'll ever find them?"

The Pyronite, as he was from the planet Pyros, gave him a weak smile. "I'm absolutely sure. Are you _that_ worried about your sister?"

The Kineceleran nodded. "Indeed I am, but I also worry about the others that are with her. I have heard a lot about them, but they are young, and they don't deserve such imprisonment inside a powerful device like the . . ." Miles stopped, as it killed him to hear or say the name.

Aldam nodded in agreement, but he looked sad as he did. Miles noticed this, of course, so he said, "Are you thinking about him?"

"Yes," Aldam replied, his expression changing from sad to angry, "If my son hadn't run away like that, I wouldn't be looking for him."

"Same with the rest of us," Miles said. "Though some didn't run away. Like . . . well, you know."

The Pyronite gave a weak smile once again. "Ah, you are talking of Nicodemus, no?"

Miles nodded. "I never knew anyone of Renatus's species who actually cared for their own kind. Then again, I don't know anyone of Renatus's kind."

"Ectonurites are very strange," said Aldam, "But they are brave, like young Nicodemus, who didn't run away from anything. I wish I had a son like that."

The Kinceleran cocked his head to the side, his long ponytail revealing itself from behind his back. "Aldam, what did your son run away from?"

Aldam sighed as he turned himself around again, his back to Miles.

"His future."

The young Kinceleran, sensing that their conversation was over, sped off quietly, leaving the Pyronite to his thoughts.

**Chapter 7 is done:) Geez, it was so short, but since I got exams, I had to write shorter than usual.  
Reviews are welcome:)  
Til next time!**


	8. Back to Bellwood

**Woo! Chapter 8 already! After a little visit to a certain website long while ago, it said that: a) the name of Ben's hometown is Bellwood and b) and his parent's names are Carl and Sandra and Gwen's parent's names are Frank and Lily. Since I don't know what they look like, I'm gonna guess, okay? When I mention the alien's names, I put their new name first then their alien name. Eg Nerine (aka Ripjaws). But I'll only mention their original names once. And plz don't get mad if I write "aka" a lot!  
****Now, on with the chapter!  
****  
**

**Chapter 8: Back to Bellwood**

"Alright! We're home!" Ben exclaimed, pressing his smiling face against the window of the RV as it drove into the familiar town of Bellwood. The teens (aka aliens), apart from Ralph (aka Wildmutt), looked out the windows as well in curiosity. The first thing they saw was a sign that said:

_**You are now entering Bellwood. Welcome and enjoy your stay.**_

Grandpa Max sighed cheerfully. "It's good to be back."

"So, what's it like here in Bellwood?" asked Reid (aka Fourarms), looking out the window with wonder.

"It's great," said Gwen with a proud smile. "You'll actually like it here. Wait til' I take you guys to the mall!"

"Now Gwen, let's not rush into things so quickly," said Grandpa. "Right now we got to get you and Ben back home, and maybe then later you can take them shopping."

"Yes Grandpa," Gwen said and she turned to the teenagers. "You guys definitely need new clothes, because those clothes remind me of a certain someone who hasn't showered nearly the whole vacation."

Ben stuck his tongue at her and looked out the window. The RV was now driving on a busy road that seemed to go on forever. The ten-year-old raised an eyebrow. Why did it look so familiar? Just then, he started giggling loudly, attracting Gwen and the teenagers's attention.

"What is he laughing at?" asked Nerine (a/n its says the name in the beginning).

"Who knows?" answered Phyllis/Stinkfly, pushing Ralph away as he started sniffing her. "Ralph, if you get near me, I swear . . ."

Nero-Amy/XLR8 looked out the window to see why what Ben was laughing at, and started giggling herself.

"Now what?" Peter/Diamondhead asked, looking at the giggling pair.

"Nothing," came their answers in unison.

All of them did not know that this was the same road that Ben, in XLR8's form, had hung the two bullies, JT and Cash, from their underwear on a tree. Just then, a big tree came into view, and, if you took a closer look, their were bits of material on two branches. When Ben and Nero-Amy saw it, they started giggling very loudly once again.

"You remember too?" Ben asked the girl.

Nero-Amy nodded, saying, "Well, duh! You were me at the time."

"You mean like, whenever Ben transformed into one of you guys, you know what he's doing?" asked Gwen.

"Correct," said Dexter (aka Grey Matter), "I seem to recall me sitting in a type of candy you call jellybeans."

Ben blushed. He had used the (ex)Galvan's form to count jellybeans to win a music player.

"I remember being in a net," said Nerine, shivering as she said it. "Before I knew it, I was back with you guys."

"Oh yeah, the Krakken thing," said Ben. "Man, Captain Shaw was so surprised to see me after the Omnitrix timed out!"

While Ben and Gwen talked to the seven teens, Ralph stopped growling quietly to himself and, on all fours, went over to Arden/Heatblast, who was quietly snoozing in his seat. Ralph nudged the snoozing teen once or twice before he suddenly woke up. He stretched his arms and yawned, and said to the dog-like teen, "What's up?"

To Arden's surprise, Ralph said, "Me bored. Play with me?"

Arden had a shocked look on his face, then his mouth curled into a smile.

Wildmutt's first words! he thought, smiling like a proud parent.

"Sure buddy," he replied, patting Ralph's head, though it felt awkward to do that. "What do you want to do?"

Ralph's head turned to the side, and Arden did too. He was looking Leila-Renee/Ghostfreak, who was resting her head on the table and snoozing. Arden raised an eyebrow, and he asked Ralph, "What about her?"

The wild-haired boy then said, "Wake up. Play with us."

Arden looked hard at him, then at the sleeping girl. She looked so worn out, and would probably lash out at anyone who disturbed her. The flame-haired boy obviously did want any trouble with her.

Beside, Arden thought, she looks so sweet when she's sleeping . . . what the hell's wrong with me?!

He slapped his forehead loudly, which thankfully the others didn't hear. Leila stirred in her sleep, and mumbled a few words. To Arden, the words sounded like . . . "sorry"?

The flame-haired teen was puzzled, but relieved that he didn't wake her up from her sleep.

But Leila wasn't just sleeping. For the first time in her life, she was dreaming.

In her dream, she was in a form. Not the human girl form. Not her true form. Her old form, the one when she was a he, when he was still in the Omnitrix. When he was still the old Ghostfreak everyone knew.

He was in a void, an identical void that he had been recently been in with the others. Ghostfreak was hovering in mid-air, and hovering in front of him was a ghost-like figure. It looked exactly like Ghostfreak's true form: same upside-down skull, same claws, same grotesque appearance. He, or she, looked at Ghostfreak with its one eye and said in a ghostly voice, "_Remember me, young one?_"

The dreaming Ectonurite gasped.

"_No, it can't be you_," he said in an equally ghostly voice, which sounded shocked, "_I thought you . . . I saw you . . . how can you be here?_"

"_This may seem to be a dream to you, but in reality,_" the elder Ectonurite's 'face' drew nearer to Ghostfreak's own, "_I am alive._"

Ghostfreak shook his head in disbelief. "_No . . ._"

"_Yes_," the elder one said, smirking. "_I am alive. You cannot deny it, young one._"

"_Renatus, please . . ._"

"_You do not WANT to believe me?!_"

"_I am sorry, but . . ._"

"_There is no sorry, child!_" exclaimed Renatus. Ghostfreak backed away a little bit. Renatus was the only one he feared the most. The elder Ectonurite suddenly looked calm, and he quietly said, "_Do not look afraid._"

Ghostfreak nodded. "_So, you are really alive? After all this time?_"

Renatus sighed. "_Yes. How many times do I have to say it?"_

"_But how did you live after what happened?_"

The elder Ectonurite replied, "_I shall tell you the next time I see you, child._"

"_But when will that be?_" asked Ghostfreak, noticing Renatus fading away.

"_Soon, Nicodemus, soon,_" came his ghostly reply, and with that, he was gone.

Ghostfreak felt his body be engulfed by darkness, and he started to scream as a familiar pain ripped through him.

Not again! he thought.

He continued to scream, his voice becoming lighter, his body becoming solid and fitter, and his single eye split into two, dark, violet eyes.

Leila woke up, suddenly screaming. Everyone in the RV looked at her as she stopped screaming and began to breath heavily. Arden looked at her with concern on his face.  
"Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine," Leila said quickly, "Just had . . . just had a scary dream."

The others nodded and went on with what they were doing, but Arden stared at Leila. She noticed him looking at her, scowled and said, "What are you looking at?"

"Are you sure that you're okay, Leila?" Arden asked, having found out her new name from Gwen. "I mean, I'm-"

"Just leave it," the girl snapped. "Since when did you start to care?"

The flame-haired boy frowned at her. Leila shook her head at him. Arden stuck his tongue out at her. She did the same. He made an ugly face at her. She made an even uglier one. Grandpa Max watched them in the review mirror and sighed.

There's something going on between those two, he thought. I'd better keep an eye on them.

And his eyes were back to concentrating on the road.

**Chapter 8 is done! At least it is longer than the last chapter. :) Can you guess who the mysterious Renatus is? (It's so obvious!) I will be back on the week after my exams end, but I'll be here to sign reviews and stuff. :) Speaking of reviews . . . reviews are welcome. :)**


	9. Information

**Another short chapter is here! What? I can't keep away from writing some more chapters! My thanks to those who have reviewed chapter 8. :)  
****  
Chapter 9: Information**

Chloris paced the huge room impatiently, waiting for some news from the little Galvan, Durwin.

"How long?" she asked herself, over and over again. "How long?"

The Lepidopterran heard the door open behind her, and was disppointed to see the Tetramand, Niall, instead of Durwin. Following behind were two young Kinecelerans, one of them taller than the other.

"So, heard anything from Durwin yet?" asked Niall, looking hopeful.

Chloris shook her head. "No, not yet. I've been waiting for an answer for hours, but I've heard nothing."

"At least he's trying, right?" said the taller Kineceleran, Wheeler. His younger brother, Lightspeed, nodded in agreement.

Chloris nodded as well. Then she asked, "Where's Miles?"

"Oh, he's probably talkin' to Aldam again," answered Lightspeed, shrugging his shoulders. "Tech's with the Vulpimancer, trying to calm him down. He's not used to travelling in space, y'now. The rest are somewhere, I guess, and Renatus . . ."

Lightspeed shrugged his shoulders again. "I have no idea. You never know with that guy."

"Ectonurites prefer to be by themselves, so I've heard," said Niall. "They are strange creatures."

"Indeed they are, Niall," came a small but hearable voice. The four aliens turned around and looked to the metal floor. There was the little Galvan, looking pleased. "I have found some information on the whereabouts of our children."

"Where?! Where?!" cried Chloris, grabbing Durwin by his little shirt and shaking him in the air. "Tell me, Durwin!"

"Easy, Chloris," said Wheeler. "You'll make him sick."

The Lepidopterran stopped shaking the now nauseous Galvan, and set him on the floor carefully. Durwin held his head, ceasing it from shaking and said, "If you follow me, I shall share the information that our good friend Renatus had helped me find."

The four aliens looked confused. How did Renatus get into the control room? But they followed the little Galvan without even asking.

Inside the control room, there was an enormous computer, made by the hands of Galvan Mechomorphs. On the screen, there were ten pictures, each of the ten original aliens of the Omnitrix. Next to their pictures were information of their species and their current location. When Chloris saw Stinkfly's picture, she cried, "My baby!"

"My son!" cried Niall, looking at the picture of Fourarms.

"Our sister!" cried both Wheeler and Lightspeed, their eyes on the picture of XLR8.

"Boy, she looks different," said Lightspeed, eyeing his sister's picture. "Wait til' Miles hears about this!"

"The others will be glad to know where they are," said Durwin, smiling at the picture of Grey Matter. He then read out loud their location, "Bellwood, USA, planet Earth. They are all together, I see."

"I better call the others!" said Wheeler, and he sped off, with Lightspeed speeding after him. Niall thanked Durwin, and he went off to turn the ship in the direction of Earth. Chloris hugged the little Galvan and said, "Thank you, Durwin. And please thank Renatus for me . . . when you see him."

"I will, Chloris," he replied, blushing a little. "I'll tell him."

The Lepidopterran smiled at him, patted his little head gently and flew out the room. While Durwin started working on the computer again, a single blood red eye appeared in the darkest shadow of the room.

"_You're welcome, my dear Chloris,_" the owner of the eye said in a ghostly voice, "_You're welcome._"

And the eye disappeared in the darkness.

**Chapter 8 is done! Tomorrow's the start of my exams, so wish me luck:) It's obvious who the owner of voice belonged to (there are hints everywhere!).  
Reviews are welcome:)  
Til next week! ;)**


	10. Aldam and Renatus

**Woo! I'm already on chapter 10! Today's exam went well, but it was a bit hard (I HATE maths!). Anyway, here's another short chappie for ya:)**

**Chapter 10: Aldam and Renatus**

"Hey Aldam!" called Lightspeed, running towards the Pyronite. "Aldam, guess what?!"

Aldam turned and saw the Kineceleran, sounding excited and cheerful at the same time. "What is it, Lightspeed?"

"Man, you're not gonna believe this," Lightspeed started, "but Durwin found out where they are!"

The Pyronite did a double take. "You mean . . . he found your sister? Everyone's children? My son?"

The young Kineceleran nodded. "Do you know where Miles went? I got to tell him! Wheeler went to tell Tech and Morien and Harlan, but I'm definitely not sure about . . . you know."

"The Vulpimancer?"

"Yeah, him. Chloris and Niall know already, and Renatus helped Durwin find the information."

"Renatus?" said Aldam, confused. "I didn't think he'd be the type to help someone like our little friend. Guess I was wrong about him. Your brother went that way, I'm sure." He pointed to his left.

Lightspeed smiled. "Thanks Aldam!" And he sped off to find his brother.

Aldam smiled after him, then he sighed. "Reminds me of Celsius, that Lightspeed."

"_Thinking out loud, aren't we?_"

The Pyronite jumped in fright at the sound of the ghostly voice. "Renatus, is that you?"

"_Indeed, Aldam,_" came a reply. "_It is I._"

"Figures," said Aldam. "You scared me half to death."

"_I see you heard from the Kineceleran about our children's findings, no?_"

The Pyronite nodded. "Yes, and I owe you and Durwin my thanks. I just can't believe I'm going to see Celsius again. And I'm sure you can't wait to see Nicodemus as well."

"_As a matter of fact,_" said Renatus, who still hid in the shadow of the room, "_I spoke to him through his dreams._"

"Ectonurites . . . dream?" asked Aldam.

"_Nicodemus was more or less in a trance, but a dream, nonetheless. I used my abilities and communicated in telepathy with him while his mind was at rest._"

"I never knew Ectonurites could get tired," Aldam said, frowning slightly. "Your species is a mysterious kind, Renatus."

Renatus chuckled. "_So I have heard._"

"So your son is well, then?" asked the Pryonite. "Has he mentioned anyone?"

"_He is fine,_" Renatus replied. "_He has not mentioned anything about the others, but I do believe he's developing a little "_friendship_" with Celsius._"

"What do you mean?" Aldam asked, but there came no reply. "Renatus? Are you there? Renatus?"

"Aldam?"

The Pyronite turned around and saw Wheeler, Miles and Lightspeed standing behind him. The difference between them was that Wheeler was the eldest and the tallest and Lightspeed was the youngest and the shortest, an inch or two shorter than Miles.

"We heard you talking to someone," said Wheeler, "and I suppose you were talking to Renatus, yes?"

Aldam nodded, and he asked Lightspeed, "Did you tell Miles the news?"

"Oh yeah," the young Kineceleran answered with a smile. "You shouldv'e seen him when I told him. He went berserk!"

"I did not!" Miles said, though he blushed as he said it. "I was just happy, okay?"

"Whatever Trever," replied his brother, and he sped off with his brothers running close behind him in case he did something stupid.

Aldam shook his head. He'll never understand how Kineceleran like the brothers's father would have five children to look after. Then he started thinking about what the Ectonurite had said earlier before he went: "_I do believe he's developing a little friendship with Celsius_".

"I wonder what he meant by that?" the Pyronite thought out loud, but he shrugged his shoulders and said, "I'll discuss it with him another time."

Then Aldam went off in the direction of the control room.

**Chapter 10 is done! Now plz tell me you know who Renatus is now? And I revealed HB's real name.  
Reviews are welcome. :)  
Til next week! ;)**


	11. Morien and Harlan

**Chapter 11 has arrived! Gee whiz, I'm writing a lot these days, but I'm enjoying it. :) Hope you enjoy this chapter.**

**Chapter 11: Morien and Harlan**

Morien fingered the azure-colored crystal that hung around his neck on a silvery-black chain. It had belonged to his wife, Mariah, before she died. He didn't want to speak about it, of course. It hurt him too much.

The Volann Piscciss gripped the crystal tightly in his dry hand.

"I will find our daughter, Mariah," he said, his eyes watering. "I promise."

The crystal glowed a little, as if answering him.

Morien sighed. His life wasn't as grand as he hoped it would be. Sure, he was the leader of his people, ever since finding out that he could walk on land and breath normally without getting dehydrated, an ability to him was a gift, but Morien had his ups and downs as well. Ever since Mariah died, their daughter Muirne didn't interact much with anyone anymore, nor did she ever speak unless spoken to, unless no one mentioned her mother.

"If only Mariah was here, she would help me," Morien muttered, gripping the crystal even tighter, though he was careful not to break it. "If only . . ."

He gently wiped away a tear, then he felt a hard hand on his shoulder. The Pisccis Volann knew it was the Petrosapien, Harlan.

Harlan was one of the few who escaped his home planet of Petropia before it was destroyed, and was lucky to have met Niall and Morien to go in search of their children, who have been trapped in the Omnitrix.

"Thinking about Muirne?" Harlan asked in a calm voice, which comforted his friend a little. "Don't worry, you'll see her soon."

"How can I?" asked Morien. "How will we ever find her and the others in a universe like this?"

"Well," replied Harlan, smiling, "Wheeler has informed that Durwin has located our children."

Morien's eyes widened in shock. "What?"

"You heard me."

"Are you serious?"

"Honestly," was the Petrosapien's answer.

Morien took Mariah's crystal into his hand again, and it glowed a little once more.

"I don't believe it," he muttered so Harlan could hear, "Where are they?"

"Somewhere on Earth," Harlan replied, "In the town of Bellwood, USA, according to Durwin."

Morien's sea-green eyes watered again. "I must thank him at once. I never thought I'd see my daughter again."

"I never thought I'd see my son again, too," said Harlan, his face looking a little sad. "He means the universe to me."

"Muirne means a lot to me, too," said Morien, "I really can't believe that we're going to see them again! We must thank Durwin at once!"

"And Renatus."

"Renatus?" the Pisccis Volann said in confusion. "He helped as well?"

"Yes," Harlan said, smiling, "He is very smart at things like that, though very mysterious, I might add."

Morien nodded in agreement. "You never know with Ectonurites, especially with ones like Renatus."

"Especially like Renatus," Harlan repeated, "We must first tell Tech the news, then we'll thank Durwin."

"But what about the Vulpimancer?" asked Morien, a hint of worry in his voice. He felt sorry for the Galvanic Mechomorph, who had to watch the Vulpimancer in case there was trouble.

The Petrosapien thought about it for a few seconds before saying, "Tech might need a little help with the Vulpimancer, plus he'll be glad to hear about our children's findings."

The Pisccis Volann shrugged his shoulders, and he followed Harlan in the direction of the Vulpimancer's room.

**Chapter 11 is done! You can see that Harlan is DH's father and Ripjaws is Morien's daughter. If you don't know how to pronounce the name "Muirne", it's pronounced _Moor-na_. I know the chapter's a bit short, but it's better than nothing, hey?  
Reviews are welcome:)  
Til next time! ;)**


	12. Home at last!

**Chapter 12 is here! This is definitely a longer chapter than the last three. Hope you enjoy it. :) Oh yeah, I haven't seen the episode "Goodbye and Good Riddance" yet, so I'm only gonna guess what Ben's parents and Gwen's parent's look like. And their house isn't going to be destroyed. :)**

**Chapter 12: Home at last!**

"Mom!"

"Benny-boo! Oh, look how much you've grown!"

Ben blushed violently as his mother called him by his nickname, but honestly, he missed being called that. Ben's mother, Sandra, took her son into her arms and hugged him tightly. "I missed you so much!"

"I missed you too, Mom," Ben said, trying to wriggle out of the hug, "Can you stop hugging me now? I think I'm going to explode!"

Sandra kissed the top of his head and finally released him. For a woman in her thirties, she was still pretty. She had shoulder-length brown hair and soft, gentle blue eyes, and she wore a matching hair-band. Her husband, Carl, was at work, but her brother-in-law Frank and his wife Lily was there at the Tennyson household to pick up Gwen. The teens were in the RV, keeping away from the windows in case anyone saw them.

"Thanks for taking Gwen with you on vacation, Dad," said Frank to Grandpa Max, "We really appreciate it."

Grandpa chuckled. "No problem, Frank. We spent a lot of time together, and I hope we can do it again next year."

Frank smiled, showing his pearly-white teeth. He had short brown hair and electric-green eyes like his older brother Carl, and his wife Lily had shoulder-length red hair and chocolate brown eyes, and those eyes were watery as she hugged Gwen.

"Oh, my darling Gwen!" she said, her voice all choked up, "Did you enjoy your vacation? I hope your cousin wasn't a nuisance or anything."

"Oh yeah, he was a big nuisance," her daughter answered, "A very big one, but to be honest, I enjoyed my vacation all the same."

Lily hugged Gwen again, more tightly than before. "I'm glad to hear it, sweetheart."

While Frank, Lily and Sandra started speaking to Grandpa, Ben and Gwen kept glancing at the RV.

"I wonder what they're doing in there?" asked Ben, scratching his head.

"Who knows?" his cousin replied, "Just hope they're keeping an eye on Ralph. He's a bit wild, if you know what I mean."

"No duh, Gwen."

"We'll definitely have a hard time with him. The others might be easy, except him and Leila."

Ben nodded. "Especially Leila. I don't exactly trust her after what she tried to do to me."

"And she doesn't exactly trust us, either," Gwen said, nodding in agreement, "And I'm sure the others don't trust her as well. Except maybe one."

"And who's the person that's crazy enough to trust Leila?" asked Ben, crossing his arms.

"Well," she started, smiling, "I don't think 'trust' is the right word. The word we're looking for is 'like'."

The ten-year-old boy's eyes widened. "'Like'? Man, whoever it is must be really crazy!"

Gwen chuckled. "Would you believe it's Arden?"

Ben's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "Arden? As in 'Heatblast'? No way! You can't be serious! Him? Like Leila?! Is he out of his mind?!"

"Shh!" said Gwen, putting a finger to her lips, "Can't you ever be quiet?"

"Sorry!" Ben answered, "But what is he thinking? How can he like you-know-who?"

Gwen shrugged. "Don't ask me. I noticed that he was looking at her the whole time after the scream scene. He looked very concerned."

"Concerned? He should be concerned about finding a doctor before he flips and gets together with that girl!"

"Actually," Gwen replied, "They would look quite cute together as a couple."

Ben slapped his forehead as he noticed a gleam in her eyes as she said that. "Let me guess. You're gonna act like Cupid and try to get them together, right?"

His cousin smiled innocently at him. "I have no idea what you're talking about, my dear Benjamin."

The ten-year-old boy shook his head. "I'll never understand girls. Ever."

**Chapter 12 is done! Tomorrow, exams end (YUSS!!!!!!!!!!!), and I'll be free (sort of). I hope you guys like this chapter, and maybe in chapter 14, they'll be learning about teen life (and probably about _other_ things as well). :)  
Reviews are welcome:)  
Til next time! ;)**


	13. Thoughts and Feelings

**Chapter 13 is here! Exams are officially FINISHED:D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D Next week of summer school, then one more week of school and I'm FREE!!! Thanks to you reviewers out there who have reviewed my story:)**

**Chapter 13: Thoughts and Feelings**

Leila couldn't help it, but she got the feeling that someone was watching her. Every time she looked away, she felt eyes on her, and when she turned around, the feeling had left her, but not for long.

The girl looked out the window, ignoring the fact she had to keep away from it in case anyone saw her, and then the feeling came back. Leila shook her head. If only she wasn't the way she was now.

Leila closed her dark, violet eyes.

Anything, she thought to herself. I'll do anything to speak to Renatus again.

While Leila thought this over and over again, Arden continued to gaze at her, with Ralph on the floor and looking at the girl as well.

The flame-haired teen sighed, but not too loudly. He didn't want Leila to hear him. The girl's eyes remained closed.

Arden lied back in his seat. If only they were friends again. Just friends. Or maybe something more, perhaps . . .?

The teen shook his head at the thought. Ha! As if that would happen!

He sat up in his seat and looked at Leila, whose eyes were still closed. Without even thinking about it, Arden slowly reached his arm out and touched the still girl's pale cheek with his hand.

It was so cold, so cold that the flame-haired teen had to take his hand back. For a moment, he thought that Leila was dead, but was relieved to see that she was still breathing.

"She's probably sleeping again," Arden said to Ralph, who looked at him with curious eyes, which seemed unusually light. "But I hope she doesn't wake up screaming again."

Ralph cocked his head to the side. Arden didn't expect him to say much. Before he could continue, the dog-like teen said, "You like her."

It was more of a statement than a question, but it was said properly and clearly, which made Arden smile. It also made him blush a deep, fiery red.

"No way!" he replied, "I'm just concerned about her, that's all."

Ralph made a squint kind of look on his face. He was obviously trying to raise an eyebrow, but failed to do so.

Arden chuckled at this, and didn't notice that the sleeping girl was opening her dark eyes.

Leila was back in the void in her old form once more, and Renatus was there as well.

"_Back again, Nicodemus?_" said Renatus, his ghostly voice sounding less chilling like it was in their last encounter.

Ghostfreak replied with an "_Mm_".

The elder Ectonurite sighed. "_I believe you have a reason for wanting to speak with me?_"

"_You are the only one I can speak to, Renatus,_" said the younger Ectonurite, "_You should know that since I am here._"

"_Is that so?_"

"_Indeed._"

"_To be perfectly honest with you, young one,_" Renatus started, "_I thought you would be speaking to Celsius, as he is your '_friend_'._"

As he said the name 'Celsius', Ghostfreak felt something warm touch his 'cheek'. It gave him a warm feeling inside, but it left him quickly.

The young Ectonurite was left with a feeling of confusion. "_Celsius? Who is Celsius?_"

The elder Ectonurite chuckled. "_Ah yes. You do not know the real name of your friend. He is the Pyronite._"

Ghostfreak raised – it seemed to be – an eyebrow. "_Are you serious?_"

"_Have I ever lied to you, Nicodemus?_" asked Renatus, crossing his clawed 'arms'.

Before Ghostfreak could answer, Renatus then said, "_I must go now. I will see you again soon._"

"_But Renatus-_"

But the elder Ectonurite was slowly fading away again, and he said, "_Don't worry, Nicodemus, I will see you again very soon. I promise you._"

And he was gone.

The darkness engulfed Ghostfreak again, but he didn't start screaming as a familiar pain entered his body. He was used to it now.

Leila opened her eyes to the sight of Ralph making a weird look at Arden. She raised a curious eyebrow at them perfectly. She'll never understand those two.

Arden looked up at her and Leila's eyes widened. It was like she looking at him for the first time.

He looked kind of . . . cute. His hair was all ruffled up and soft-looking, and his eyes . . . oh, those beautiful warm eyes. They were the kind of eyes that you'd want to get lost in. Leila was lost in them, all right. She wanted to look into them forever and run her hands through his hair and . . .

"Leila?"

The dreamy girl snapped out of her thoughts. Arden looked at her with concern, and then he smiled. "You're awake. You really must have been tired today."

"Mm," she answered.

Arden looked a little confused. Personally, he thought she was going to snap at him or something. As he was going to ask her something, Grandpa Max had come back and was back to sitting in the driver's seat.

"Alright," he said, buckling himself up, "We'll be going to my house, and Ben and Gwen will be coming later. Then, we'll start with the training."

"What training?" asked Galvin/Upgrade.

As Grandpa started the engines, he replied, "Training you on how to become proper teenagers."

As the RV started to drive away from the Tennyson house, Leila started thinking about the thoughts that had entered her mind earlier.

What was I thinking? How can Arden be cute? He's not cute! He's SO not cute! Geez, I'm even starting to think like a human!

Leila looked out the window once more. She needed something to distract her. Anything. Just as long she was not looking at the teen sitting opposite her.

**Chapter 13 is done! I'm so tired now, and my fingers are sore, but to be honest, I really don't care:) Because exams are over! No more papers, no more maths, Afrikaans, Xhosa, English and so on. :D Uh oh, I think someone is getting a crush on somebody (who has a crush on the someone, of course):)  
Reviews are welcome. :)**

**Til next time! ;)**


	14. Tech and Cynog

**Chapter 14 has come! While I'll be writing, I'll be VERY busy for this and next week. Summer school this week, party on Saturday, party and concert on Sunday, and I went to two parties last weekend. :O Thank goodness school ends next week:D The teen training will come later, because I have a little case of writer's block. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 14: Tech and Cynog**

Tech quickly shut the metal door, locking it up as fast as he can. It wasn't easy, as the Vulpimancer, Cynog, was trying to escape. He gave a loud, angry roar and rammed his head against the door, making the Galvanic Mechamorph jump in both fright and fear. Tech finally locked the door and his 'knees' dropped to the floor in exhaustion. The Vulpimancer continued to roar and growl and scratch at the door in the room.

Why did I ever agree to watch this monster? Tech thought, rubbing his 'head'.

"Need a hand?"

Tech looked up at the sound of a familiar voice, which belonged to Harlan. The Petrosapien pulled Tech up onto his 'feet'. "Having a hard time with Cynog, huh?"

"He's a monster!" replied Tech, waving his 'arms' in the air, "I'm surprised that I'm still living! That beast could kill me!"

"He's not used to traveling," said Morien, who was now next to Harlan, "Remember?"

"That's the same with all Vulpimancers," said Tech, shaking his 'head', "If he's like that, why bring him along?"

Harlan sighed. "Because Renatus insisted that he should come with us."

"I don't know what Renatus was thinking," said Tech, his 'arms' in the air, "Besides, even if we do find Cynog's son, how will the two get along?"

"Well," started the Petrosapien, "I am not sure about how they will get along, but at least we found him and the others."

The Galvanic Mechamorph said, "That's very good . . ." then he stopped, and exclaimed, "What did you say?!"

Morien and Harlan smiled at his reaction. Even Cynog stopped roaring and scratching at the door.

"Did you just say what I think you just said?" asked Tech.

The Petrosapien nodded, and before he knew it, his friend gave a loud whoop and punched the air.

"Yes!" he exclaimed, jumping up and down in excitement, "At last! They are found!"

Cynog, who did hear the news, roared loudly, so loudly Tech stopped jumping and ran behind the Pisccis Volann. "Is he insane-mad or angry-mad?"

Morien smiled. "Neither. He's . . . happy."

**Chapter 14 is done! It's a short chapter, I know. And "Cynog" is pronounced **_**kee-nog**_**. I hope you liked it. Oh yeah, on my homepage, I put in spoilers/hints for the next chapter.**

**Reviews are welcome:)**

**Til next time! ;)**


	15. Arden and Leila

**Chapter 15 has arrived! I've been suffering writer's block, plus I needed a break. Hope you enjoy this chapter:)**

**Chapter 15: Arden and Leila**

Leila looked closely at the framed photographs that stood on the wooden counter in Grandpa Max's huge living room. The others were exploring the two-story house, but Arden and Ralph was with her, much to her dismay.

The girl looked up at Arden, who was standing close-by, watching Ralph as he moved around the room, sniffing everything as he went along. She quickly turned her attention back to looking at the photos when the flame-haired teen looked in her direction. He shrugged his shoulders, and turned to see that Ralph was gone. Arden's eyes widened in fear. He promised Phyllis that he's look after him in case he did something stupid.

Oh man, Arden thought, where is he?

The teen then turned his head to where Leila, and he said, "Leila?"

"Hmm?" she answered, not looking up.

Arden was about to ask her where Ralph was, but he didn't notice that Ralph was right behind him, crouching as low as he could. The wild-haired teen got up quickly and pushed Arden with all his might. Before he could say anything to the girl, Arden felt himself being pushed forwards and before he knew it, his body was against a surprised Leila.

Ralph snickered loudly, but both the teens didn't seem to have heard him. They both blushed furiously as they realized what just happened, though in Leila's mind, Ralph had nothing to do with it.

"Will. You. Get. Off. Of. Me. Now," she said in a slow, threatening voice, though she was still blushing. Arden, who was in his own world, came back to reality and released the angry-looking girl. Her eyes were blazing with anger, and they shook fear into the flame-haired teen.

"What the heck were you doing?" Leila asked, slowly and angrily. Arden felt his heart skip a beat as he heard something familiar about her tone of voice. It sounded icy. Chilling. Ghostly.

The girl, without warning, grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him towards her, their faces almost touching. Arden didn't even try to escape, as Leila held his shirt tightly, and even if he did try to escape her death grip, there's no telling what she'd do.

"I said, what were you doing?" Leila asked again, and Arden noticed in alarm that her dark, violet eyes glowed purple as she said that. He felt something sharp piercing against his chest. Arden gasped in pain. Leila, whose eyes stopped glowing, slowly released the boy's shirt and her hand went behind her back quickly. She looked at Arden, who was on the floor, and she helped him up onto his feet with her free hand. Leila felt her heart beat fast as she took his hand into her own, but it started beating normally when she let go.

Ralph, looking concerned as he watched the whole thing, whimpered and nudged Arden's free hand, the other on his chest. Arden smiled at him, then he looked at Leila with apologetic eyes. "I'm so sorry, Leila. I didn't mean to-"

"It's fine," she said quickly, lowering her head, "I'm sorry, too. I don't know what came over me now."

Arden smiled at her, and just before he was going to say something, he heard Grandpa Max calling, "Okay everybody, it's time for the training to start!"

Ralph ran out the room when he finished, leaving Arden and Leila alone. Together.

Arden looked at Leila and said, "We better get going. We don't want to be late, do we?"

The girl nodded, and said, "Tell Max I'll be there in a few minutes."

"Are you feeling okay?" the flame-haired teen asked, edging closer to her, "You don't look so good. Should I get Max and-"

"No!" Leila said quickly, keeping her hand behind her back, "No, just tell him I'll be there. There's nothing to worry about."

Arden didn't seem to believe her, but he went out the room anyway. When he was gone, Leila breathed a sigh of relief. She thought he'd never leave. Leila, who waited for a few seconds, revealed a familiar, sharp, black claw from behind her back, before it changed back into a pale human hand.

**Chapter 15 is done! Tomorrow's the last day of school, and I'm so happy:D No more work for 6 weeks!!! I hoped you like this chapter. It's the best I could write after a few days.  
Reviews are welcome. :)  
Til next time:)****  
**


	16. Thoughts and Feelings II

**Chapter 16 has arrived! I promise you guys, the training will start in the next chapter. :) Just so you know, there's a lot of romance, so if you're not the romantic kind of person, don't even bother to read this. Enjoy:)**

**Chapter 16: Thoughts and Feelings II**

Arden, who had caught up with Ralph, started to think about what happened between him and Leila. He felt his body shake as he remembered her angry, glowing eyes looking right into his own. The teen put his hand on his paining chest, and when he took his hand back, Arden noticed something red on it. Blood.

The teen's eyes widened. He looked at his shirt and saw a hole, his blood making a stain on the white material.

What did she use, a knife? Arden thought, stretching his shirt.

Just then, he heard someone call, "Arden! Ralph! Leila! Where are you guys?!"

Nero-Amy and Phyllis came into view, and the wild-haired teen ran towards them. Phyllis patted his head and looked at Arden. "Where have you guys been?" Then she noticed his shirt. "And what the heck happened to you?"

"Long story," replied Arden, "But seriously, it's nothing to worry about. Come on, Max must be wondering where we are."

"You'll need to have that wound bandaged up," said Nero-Amy, "and maybe you can borrow a clean shirt from Max."

Before Arden could say anything, Nero-Amy took his arm and sped off with him. Phyllis looked Ralph and asked, "Do you know what happened?"

The wild-haired teen just shook his head.

It took a few moments for Leila to realize there were specks of blood on her hand. What happened between her and Arden flashed in her mind, and she looked at her hand again after wiping the blood away.

What have I done?

While Leila was thinking about this question, she didn't notice her eyes start to glow purple once more. The skin of her hand started to tingle, but the feeling went away quickly, much to Leila's relief. She knew what was going to happen.

"I got to control my temper," Leila said to herself, the glow in her eyes fading away.

The girl walked out the living room, making her ways towards the family room, when she noticed a blood-stain on the carpeted floor. Leila's eyes widened in shock.

I nearly killed him! Leila thought, clenching her fists. How could I have been so stupid?! Just then, she could hear voices talking, and one of them was going "ouch!" every few seconds.

"It's not that painful, you know."

"Ha! You should talk! Ouch! It's – ouch! - torture!"

"Relax, Arden. It's nearly over."

The dark-eyed girl followed the voices, which got louder and louder as she got closer. Leila could hear the voices coming from a room, the door opened a little. She slowly walked towards the door, which happened to be the bathroom door, and she peered inside the bathroom.

There was Arden, sitting on the edge of the bathtub with his shirt off. He was quite fit and muscular, if you looked closely without his shirt on. Leila rubbed her eyes before gazing back at him again. She so badly wanted to go in there, just to be with him. She watched as Grandpa bandaged up his wound.

"Ouch!" exclaimed Arden, "It stings!"

"I told you, it's nearly over," a girl's voice said, and there was Nero-Amy, standing next to him, holding his hand.

It was either anger or jealousy Leila felt at that moment, but whatever it was, she was full of it. She wanted to run in there and strangle Nero-Amy until she had no more breath left in her body. Her dark eyes began to glow again, though it seemed to glow brighter than before. Leila, unbeknownst to her, began to levitate off the ground, and the skin of both her hands slowly started to peel back, revealing familiar, black claws . . .

"I'll see if I can find a spare shirt somewhere," Leila heard Grandpa say to Arden. As quick as a flash, the girl was back on the ground, her eyes stopped glowing and her claws changed back to normal hands. The door opened, nearly hitting Leila in the face. The teen got out from behind the door and watched Grandpa and Nero-Amy walk towards one of the rooms ahead.

Leila waited for a few moments, took a deep breath and knocked on the open door.

Arden looked up as he heard someone knock on the door. Although he was with Grandpa and Nero-Amy, he felt a little embarrassed that he wasn't wearing a shirt. Before he could do anything about it, Leila appeared in the doorway, looking a little nervous. Arden's cheeks turned red. "Hi."

"Hi," she replied, "How are you feeling?" The girl went over to Arden and sat next to him.

"I'm fine," Arden replied, sitting up straight, but that only made the pain in his chest feel worse. He groaned, which made Leila feel guilty. Without even thinking about it, she took his hand into her own, causing them both to blush once more.

"I'm really sorry about what happened," the girl said, loosening the grip on his hand, but it seemed to her that Arden was holding onto her hand instead of the other way around.

The teen smiled at her. "It's alright. Besides, you already apologized before."

"Yeah, but I still feel kinda guilty," she said, lowering her head, locks of her hair falling in front of her eyes, "I didn't mean to hurt you."

Arden brushed away the locks from her eyes with his free hand, and he lifted her chin up so they could see each other eye-to-eye. And when they did, for a mad moment it looked like they were going to kiss. Well, for Leila, it did.

And also for the returning Grandpa Max and Nero-Amy.

They had an old shirt which had belonged to Carl, which they got from his childhood bedroom. The girl and the old man came back, expecting to see Arden whining about how sore he was, but to their immense surprise, they saw him and Leila, holding hands and looking into each other's hands like lovers.

"Max?" Nero-Amy whispered, looking a little bit more shocked than surprised, "It looks like they're going to . . . what do you humans call it?"

"The word is 'kiss'," Grandpa whispered back, smiling at the two teens, "They remind me of the time I nearly kissed Julianna-"

But he stopped as soon as he said the name, and he started to frown. Nero-Amy looked at him curiously. "Julianna?"

"Forget about what I said," said Grandpa very quickly, and he started to smile again. "Let's leave these two lovebirds alone for now. They can come when they're ready."

And the old man and the girl went on their way to the living room, leaving the shirt hanging on the doorknob.

Arden and Leila, out the corners of their eyes, saw the two leave, and they both looked at each other in confusion. Then the penny dropped. It was so obvious. The way they were looking into each other's eyes and holding hands (well, Arden was holding Leila's hand) made Grandpa and Nero-Amy believe they _liked _each other.

The teens were silent for a moment, and then Arden started to laugh. Even Leila was smiling for the first time in her life.

"They actually think we like each other!" said the laughing teen.

"They definintely got the wrong idea," said Leila. As soon as Arden stopped laughing, the girl released her hand from the boy's grip and got the shirt off the doorknob. She threw it to him, and he caught it without having to get up. After getting the shirt on, both Arden and Leila left the bathroom, talking to each other like nothing bad happened. Like they were just friends.

But deep in their hearts, they wanted more than friendship . . .

**Jislaaik! Officially the longest chapter I have ever written (I think). :) This took hours yesterday for me to write! Like from noon until now! Including breaks and a visit from people my parents know. But I'm glad I wrote this anyway. :D**

**Reviews are welcome. :)**

**Til next time! ;) **


	17. Kila

**Wow! I'm already on chapter 17:D Okay, now I really, double-will start the training in the next chapter! Blame writer's block (darn you, writer's block!). The name of this chapter is sucky, I know, but like I said, blame writer's block. Enjoy:)**

**Chapter 17: Kila  
**_  
"Silences make the real conversations between friends. Not the saying but the never needing to say what it counts" - Margaret Lee Runbeck_

The teens were in the living room, sitting on chairs and waiting for Grandpa Max, who was waiting for Ben and Gwen to arrive. Arden was sitting with the guys, but Phyllis sat next to him so she could keep on eye on Ralph. While the girl was talking to him, Arden kept glancing at Leila, who was sitting nearby with the other girls. He wanted to go over to her, but with Phyllis trying to get him to tell her about what happened to him, Arden was stuck in his seat for goodness knows how long.

Leila looked in his direction and smiled at him. Nero-Amy and Nerine both noticed this, and they looked at each other in surprise.

"I never seen her smile before," said Nerine, "Even when she was still Ghostfreak."

"First becoming a girl, then she and Arden holding hands and now this!" said Nero-Amy, crossing her arms. The mermaid-like teen's eyes widened at the second thing her friend said. "They were doing what?!"

The neon-eyed girl hit her hand against Nerine's mouth. "Shh! You want her to hear to you?!" But though in her mind, she knew that Leila wouldn't even hear her, no matter how loud they talked. She took her hand back from her friend's mouth and, shaking her head, said, "Honestly, you're worse than Lightspeed."

"Lightspeed? Who's that?" Nerine asked, looking confused, but Nero-Amy didn't answer. Certain thoughts were running fast through her mind.

Lightspeed? Nero-Amy thought, that name . . . why does it sound so familiar?

A memory flashed in her mind like lightning. She was her old self. Not like she was in the Omnitrix, but as a normal Kineceleran. Standing in front of her was another Kineceleran, who had a big smile on his face. He turned and sped off, shouting, "Catch me if you can, Kila!"

"But we're too old to play games like these, Lightspeed, you know that" Kila replied, her scissor-like "hands" on her hips.

Lightspeed kept on running until he was out of view. Kila sighed, but she didn't know that her older brother was running directly towards her from behind. The next thing she knew, Kila was tackled from behind, and the brother and sister were thrown off the ground.

Kila found herself on her back, with Lightspeed lying on top of her. He lifted his head a little and said, "Listen sis, us Kinecelerans have a short life-span, as you know. You never have enough time to do things when you're young, because at that stage everything just flashes by, and before you're know it, you want to do things that you never done before, like travel around the Universe or spend time with your family. I want to enjoy this life while I can, Kila. With my dad, with my brothers, and with you."

His sister blinked as she took it all in, and, without warning, she was gone, and her brother landed face-first onto the ground. He looked up, and saw Kila standing ten feet away from him. Smiling, she called out, "Come on! You're never going to catch me while you're lying down!"

Lightspeed smiled at her before she ran off, only a blur. He stood up quickly, like he never was on the ground, shouted, "Here I come, Kila!" and he ran after her.

"Nero-Amy?" Nerine's voice called, "Earth, Khoros, Galvan B, Pyros, Pisccis, Anur Phaetos and any other planet to Nero-Amy."

The neon-eyed girl turned her head from side to side, then she looked at Nerine and said, "I'm sorry, but were you saying something?"

Her friend slapped her forehead.

I won't even bother to ask, she thought. Nero-Amy scratched her head because she wondered why her friend slapped herself, and the other reason was because she was thinking about the memory of her and Lightspeed. Her brother.

Who knew one name could bring back so much memories, she thought as she remembered what he said:

_You never have enough time to do things when you're young, because at that stage everything just flashes by, and before you're know it, you want to do things that you never done before._

Nero-Amy closed her eyes and thought, Maybe that's why I ended up in the Omnitrix in the first place, because I wanted to do something I never did before. Now look what happened to me. I'm a human, but for how long? I'm beginning to like being a human, and I want to spend as much time this way.

Meanwhile, Leila was in her own thought as well. She was looking at her hand once again, and sneaking glances at Arden, who was being pestered by Phyllis. She was determined to find out what happened to him. The dark-eyed teen rolled her eyes. She was only trying to help him.

That is when Phyllis took hold of Arden's hand.

You could not imagine how Leila felt at that moment. She was shocked at first. Then, she felt a familiar rush of feelings spreading through her entire body and mind: hate, anger and jealousy.

Leila felt her skin tingle slightly, and her eyes were glowing, but in this case, blazing once more. Her arms started to grow thinner until they were skeletal, and her clenched hands were shaking, the skin starting to rip open. Everyone in the room noticed Leila and were shocked and scared at what they saw.

"Oh my gosh!" exclaimed Dexter, "What's happening to her?!"

"I don't know, I thought you'd tell me!" said Reid, hands on his face.

Suddenly, everything in the living-room - photo-frames, vases, china on shelves and other things - started moving. They levitated in mid-air, and before the teens knew it, they were being hit with valuable objects.

"Whoa!" Galvin exclaimed as a vase nearly hit his shoulder. Luckily it missed him, but he was too busy to notice as more things tried to hit him and his friends.

"Leila, stop!" cried Arden, whose hand was on his aching chest. He ran towards her, avoiding many plates and saucers being thrown at him. He grabbed the skeletal girl by her nearly-exposed hand, which was ice-cold. "Leila, you got to stop this now!"

The girl didn't seem to hear him at first, nor did she seem to know that he was there. Then, the glow in her eyes slowly faded away, and she said in a quiet tone, "Arden?"

The flame-haired teen smiled. However, he was not smiling when a plate, which was cut a little on the edge, hit Leila in her face, almost hitting her in the neck. She fell onto the floor unconscious, and all the valuable objects fell to the ground as well. Just then, Grandpa Max, Ben and Gwen came rushing in, and they were dumb-founded at what they saw.

"What the heck . . .?!"

"Whoa!"

"What happened here?!"

Grandpa saw Leila on the floor, and he rushed to her and got onto his knees. Arden, who was on his knees, then asked, "Is she going to be okay?"

Grandpa's eyes widened, then he looked at the teen. "She'll be fine. There's no serious injury."

"But she nearly got hit in the neck by a plate! How could that not be serious?!" Arden looked at the unconscious Leila, then he nearly dropped down in shock. The skin on her left cheek was ripped open, revealing the part of a familiar exposed skull underneath. The teen didn't get to look any further, as the skin suddenly started to join back together, and Leila's face looked normal again.

_"He who angers you conquers you" - Elizabeth Kenny_

**Chapter 17 is done! I wrote one quote in the beginning and one at the end because . . . ag, even I don't know! I felt like it, I guess. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and don't worry, the training starts in the next chapter. :D Gee, I made Leila go mad over nothing. :)  
****Reviews are welcome. :)  
Til next time! ;)**


	18. Author's Note II

**Hey people! :D**

**I know, I know! I haven't updated for a flipping long time (writer's block should be illegal). It's nearly that time of the year again . . . exams. And while I'm (supposedly) studying for it, I'm been trying to get ideas to write for my next chapter, but my mind is full of useless school stuff and plans for a new story.**

**Anyway, I'm asking you to bear with me, I will update sometime this and/or next month, but I need some help. I need some new ideas and knowing how very smart you people are, it will be a tremendous help if you could give me some ideas. Maybe if they're good enough, I could even add you to the story!! :)**

**Requests are welcome! :)**

**Til next time, I'll be back!**

**Aquaria Identity 07 ;)**


End file.
